Fergie: Both Josh Duhamel and Axl Love When I Put On My 'Going Out' Makeup (For Very Different Reasons)

When new mom Fergie gets time for a date night with husband Josh Duhamel, she makes sure to amp up her makeup look. “He loves me natural all the time, but now because I do natural a lot, he loves when I do a bright red lip,” the singer, 39, told PEOPLE at a photo shoot for her Wet n Wild cosmetics collection. “He thinks that’s sexy. I’ve noticed that he really likes that.”

Her go-to red shade? One of her own Wet n Wild Perfect Pout Lip Colors, of course. “One of my favorites is ‘Saraghina’ from my collection, and it’s based on the character that I played in the film Nine.”

Courtesy Wet n Wild

Fergie’s affinity for a bold red lip is nothing new — she recalls experimenting with her mother’s makeup when she was 7 years old. “I used to try to emulate Marilyn Monroe, who looked to me like my grandmother because they would do the black liquid liner and the red lips,” she said. “I just loved that look, so I would try it at home myself. I’ve Instagrammed some pictures of me when I was younger, and I actually did my own makeup in those pictures!”

For everyday, Fergie takes a lower-maintenance approach to her beauty regimen. “I like something fast with just a little bit of femininity,” she said. “My usual go-tos are my ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’ mascara, my ‘Fergie Daily’ [light pink lipstick], and just [the upcoming ‘Take on the Day’] mattifying powder the T-zone. Then that’s it because I’m a mom.”

But when she does get all dolled up, her son Axl also shows his approval for her amped-up look. “I’m more of a just mascara girl now, but it’s fun to do lashes when I go out,” she says. “When I do, it’s funny because Axl thinks it’s hilarious. He looks at my face and he starts grabbing because he thinks I’m playing a game with him, like ‘What’s on my face?’ When I do my cucumber patches on my face, he thinks that’s really funny too. He thinks that I’m putting it on for him and it’s a game, like putting on a hat … The lashes thing is the tricky one because he just wants to touch. ‘Don’t!'”

What’s your favorite makeup look? What’s your guy’s favorite makeup look for you? What one product would you be devastated if they discontinued?